Polyketides are a large class of natural products that includes many important antibiotic, antifungal, anticancer, antihelminthic, and immunosuppressant compounds such as erythromycins, tetracyclines, amphotericins, daunorubicins, avermectins, and rapamycins. Their synthesis proceeds by an ordered condensation of acyl esters to generate carbon chains of varying length and substitution pattern that are later converted to mature polyketides. This process has long been recognized as resembling fatty acid biosynthesis, but with important differences. Unlike a fatty acid synthase, a typical polyketide synthase is programmed to make many choices during carbon chain assembly: for example, the choice of "starter" and "extender" units, which are often selected from acetate, propionate or butyrate residues in a defined sequence by the polyketide synthase. The choice of using a full cycle of reduction-dehydration-reduction after some condensation steps, omitting it completely, or using one of two incomplete cycles (reduction alone or reduction followed by dehydration) is additionally programmed, and determines the pattern of keto or hydroxyl groups and the degree of saturation at different points in the chain. Finally, the stereochemistry for the substituents at many of the carbon atoms is programmed by the polyketide synthase.
Streptomyces and the closely related Saccharopolyspora genera are producers of a prodigious diversity of polyketide metabolites. Because of the commercial significance of these compounds, a great amount of effort has been expended in the study of Streptomyces and Saccharopolyspora genetics. Consequently, much is known about these organisms and several cloning vectors and techniques exist for their transformation.
Although many polyketides have been identified, there remains the need to obtain novel polyketide structures with enhanced properties. Current methods of obtaining such molecules include screening of natural isolates and chemical modification of existing polyketides, both of which are costly and time consuming. Current screening methods are based on gross properties of the molecules, i.e. antibacterial, antifungal activity, etc., and both a priori knowledge of the structure of the molecules obtained or predetermination of enhanced properties are virtually impossible. Chemical modification of preexisting structures has been successfully employed to obtain novel polyketides, but still suffers from practical limitations to the type of compounds obtainable, largely connected to the poor yield of multistep synthesis and available chemistry to effect modifications. Modifications which are particularly difficult to achieve are those involving additions or deletions of carbon side chains. Accordingly, there exists a considerable need to obtain molecules wherein such changes can be specified and performed in a cost effective manner and with high yield.
The present invention solves these problems by providing reagents (specifically, polynucleotides, vectors comprising the polynucleotides and host cells comprising the vectors) and methods to generate novel polyketides by de novo biosynthesis rather than by chemical modification.